Crystal Lalor

About Me

My name is Crystal Lalor (she/her) and I am from Connecticut, USA. I am currently a sophomore in high school and I am interested in medicine and biochemistry. I am an aspiring physician. In my free time, I like to spend time outdoors with my cousins or read a book.

Research Experience

At first, I was quite unfamiliar with research. Fortunately, my mentor was able to simplify it for me. The first 1-2 weeks of the program, my mentor and I began brainstorming potential topics we'd be interested in. Then, she began sending me interesting papers and readings for me to get introduced to scientific mechanisms and words. Over time the research got easier and easier because I got familiarized with the terminology. Also, watching videos helped me better understand the big picture of the topic. Overall, participating in Talaria helped me build excellent writing skills and networking skills that will help me as an aspiring physician.

Mentorship Experience

My mentor was amazing! She was so welcoming and patient with me. She would send me readings before our meetings so I would have an idea  of what we would discuss. She also was very quick with her emails so whenever I needed help understanding a paper she was reachable.

Community Experience

I connected with the rest of the Talaria participants very well. By using the Discord server, I was able to build friendships that extended outside the program and get access to help anytime I needed. In fact, my favorite part about Talaria is that I met so many people who were interested in the same exact thing I was interested in. I even met a new friend from India!

Who I Recommend Talaria For

I would recommend Talaria to any student who is interested in STEM and passionate about communicating. If you are hesitant about joining Talaria, don't be. You won't regret it! I had a wonderful time and built so many life learning experiences!